Stathis Papaioannou wrote:
> Peter Jones writes:
>
> > Stathis Papaioannou wrote:
> > > John Mikes writes:
> > >
> > > > Peter:
> > > > "... A counterfactual is a COUNTERfactual - -it is
> > > > something that could have happenned but didn't. There is no
> > > > reason why we should be conscious of in things
> > > > we coudl have done but didn't. ..."
> > > >
> > > > JM:
> > > > It could not have happened in another way if it did happen THIS way.. WE may
> > > > think - in our limited circle of knowledge - that something else was also
> > > > viable, but in the deterministic world of a total (unlimited, not
> > > > model-enclosed) interconnectedness - whatever happened, was "the" possible
> > > > way of events.
> > > > I am not talking about HP universes or thought experiments.
> > >
> > > Yes: the mere fact that we *think* it could have happened differently does not
> > > mean that it could have happened differently.
> >
> > Counterfactuals come from physical determinism, they
> > are not contrary to it. Causal determism mean there are
> > physical laws determining events which can be modelled
> > by mathematival statements. The mathermatical
> > formulation of physical laws allows you to answer
> > hypothetical questions even if the actual situation cannot
> > be phsyically realised for some practical reason.
> >
> >
> > If the actual situation cannot
> > be physically realised for some practical reason,
> > there is a sense in which it is impossible --
> > but it is not the same sense of impossible
> > as something which is forbidden by physical
> > laws.
>
> But is there any sense in which we as humans are any more "free" than billiard
> balls or dice beyond the fact that we *feel* we are free?
There may be. For instance, freedom might be a combination of
indeterminism and rational self-control.
> I have a strong feeling
> that my free will is not randomness and not determinism: is there anything really
> other tthan these two possibilities?
Various combinations of them. Why should it not be a combination ?
> Stathis Papaioannou
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Received on Thu Aug 31 2006 - 08:09:37 PDT